Cryomancy
by TheZorker
Summary: With a single sword strike, Anna's life was ended in front of Elsa, sending the whole realm into a frozen tomb for over one hundred and fifty years. Found by SHIELD, and awakened in the evacuation, just how desperate are they for any help they can find? "They have made us very desperate." First story in the Cryomancy series.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: I blame UK customs for this. I'd just read 'The Ice Sorceress Awakens' first few chapters when I left to visit my sister in England. Having Frozen playing on the Inflight movie - several times - and then having to wait several hours in customs only exacerbated the plot bunnies. With permission of Owl Writer, this was the result. (If you've not read The Ice Sorceress Awakens - go read that first. I'll wait. Anything post Chapter 2 is mine, but is welcomed to be re-stolen if you have great ideas for a re-fork. -TZ)  
_

The words echoed through her head, she slipped to her knees. Elsa was unable to focus on anything else. The winds came to a dead stop, and snowflakes simply hung in the air, no more able to move than Elsa. _Anna is dead_.

Hans was speaking, but Elsa didn't hear a word of it. Her mind was too busy reeling from the one simple fact. After a moment, the screech of metal tried to penetrate her brain. She was aware, dimly, that she was going to die: Hans was going to kill her. But she didn't care. Anna was dead, she was at fault, and she deserved to die.

In the corner of mind, she heard the scream of "NO!" that could only have been her sister. Time itself seemed to slow as Anna, her body rapidly solidifying into ice, interposed herself between Elsa and her executioner. _Anna was alive?_

Metal met Ice with a large clang. Ice is solid, but so is metal, and this one had the opportunistic force of excitement behind it. The ice statue that was Anna broke into two pieces… falling to the solid fjord below, where it shattered further. One of the pieces bounced to Elsa, where she caught and stared at it.

She gripped the fist size shard, once part of her sister. Sorrow, hatred, and anger overwhelmed her as she rose to her feet. Flurries of snow gave way to a blizzard, which gave way to a storm of ice. Finally, a wave of pure ice, freezing everything emanated from Elsa, entombing everything in its path.

A single refrain echoed in Elsa's mind. _Anna is dead. I killed her._

Arendelle was lost that day, buried in the Summer Snowstorm. Legends would tell that it was the young Queen herself who cursed the kingdom to an icy grave. The land of Arendelle, covered in a thousand feet of ice, would become known as the Glacier of Arendelle.

A kingdom engulfed in the fury of the Snow Queen.

* * *

"We're getting high energy readings," the tech reported to Stark.

"Really? This is Norway. We're not even to the ocean yet," Howard replied, walking over to see what the tech was staring at. Double checking the instruments, he shrugged, "Note down the coordinates, but we're not going to look. Not here. This isn't Captain Rodgers."

* * *

It was soon after the incident with Thor's hammer that SHIELD began to investigate the Arendelle Glacier anomaly. It took heavy equipment to break through the slowly regrowing ice and get at the entombed woman within.


	2. Chapter 1

**"All personnel: the evacuation order has been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles for off-site conveyance. This is not a drill."**

A tremor shook the compound. Dozens of workers rushed around, loading equipment and hurriedly making preparations to flee. The smell of exhaust of a dozen trucks of all types filled the air.

"Martinez, get moving!" A supervisor standing on the loading dock shouted at one of the trucks. "You're nearly full and we need the loading dock clear for the next truck."

"Can't yet, ma'am. There's a problem with the battery backup - if we move now, who knows what this thing will do." Martinez replied, pushing his glasses higher onto his nose with greasy fingers. His wiped his hands on his stained jacket before continuing to fumble with wires at the base of a large metal capsule.

"Move. NOW. We just got word that we have to load every Phase Two device in addition to all of the volatile pieces like yours. Finish your hookup en route."

Martinez swore under his breath, unplugged a pair of cables and tossed them to the loading dock. Hammering his hand on the side of the truck, he growled and shouted to the driver, "Let's go Smith!" he shouted. And, after a moment added, "Hit the radio, would you?" He grabbed the pull on the end of the sliding truck door and slammed it shut as Smith threw it in gear. It was nearly pitch black in the back, with only small dingy workman's bulb lighting the darkness.

The truck rolled out from the dock and into the tunnel leaving the facility. Martinez sat on the metal floor, bracing his feet against the capsule and his back against the wall of the truck as they took the corner to leave the loading area. An ominous blinking red light indicating battery failure stared at him from the base of the metal capsule.

He stared at the metal box, the 'volatile' piece of equipment they were carrying. "They didn't tell me what you were. Figures, huh?" The radio in the cab of the truck started playing. Country music, from the sounds of things, although it was difficult to hear over the rattling of the truck and the screech of the tires.

"You can't be too dangerous, right?" Martinez tapped lightly on the side of the capsule. "You're only… big enough to be a nuclear warhead, marked as highly volatile, and stored in a top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. lab devoted to obscure energy research." He swallowed, while glancing down at the red light again. "With a failing backup battery."

He dug through the duffel bag of cables that sat beside him. "Well, if all else fails, we can pull over and wire you up to the truck battery, which ought to last a little while until we can get help."

A few minutes passed as Martinez arranged a few items from the duffel bag on the floor around him and unscrewed the outer casing on the plate at the base of the capsule. The sound of a distant explosion interrupted his work. He rifled through the same duffel bag for an earpiece and flicked the switch, "Hell's Bells, Smith. What was that?" The music on the radio was silenced.

A crackling voice responded, "Presumably the cause for the evacuation. Hope everyone got out okay. It's not looking pretty back there."

"I hope so, too. Hey, how far to the rendezvous?"

"No rendezvous yet, Lou. Only word so far is to get as far away as possible and await pickup. That, and something about a Code 619. A compromised agent, right? Think the explosion was an inside job?

"No idea." Martinez continued to loosen screws, desperately not thinking about what might happen if the power failed completely. "What's the plan, then? Drive until they tell us to stop? And... can you down the AC? I'm getting cold back here."

"If we haven't heard anything by dawn, we head to the Stanley base, but it's not cleared or designed for highly volatile Project Pegasus stuff. How's the battery coming?"

"Not well." Prying open the case of the battery pack attached to the capsule, Martinez sighed. "I need to dig out a spare - one of the cells ruptured."

"Have fun with that. We picked up an escort, by the way - so if you need a hand with something we can pull over and see what we can do."

A muffled click and the faint sound of the radio resumed. Martinez hummed along tunelessly as a new song started, digging through a stack of boxes marked Electrical Miscellany. His back to the capsule, he did not further notice the falling temperature or the frost building up on the outside of the metal capsule. The truck suddenly swerved; the box was thrown to the floor, and it's contents scattered.

"What the hell, Smith? Falling asleep at the wheel?"

"Nah - can't see it very well, but it feels like we're hydroplaning on something. It hasn't rained, though, and we're pretty damn heavy right now - not sure what just.." The truck swerved again. More boxes shifted from the sudden movement.

"Not funny, Smith. Not sure what we're hauling but highly volatile is pretty damn explicit." He could hear Smith starting to slow the truck down.

"Not a joke. I swear it's like the wheels are slipping on something. If it wasn't April I'd swear that was a patch of ice."

"Ice? Smith what in the name of…" Martinez trailed off; his breath was visible. He belatedly noticed how cold the air had grown around him. He slowly turned back to the capsule, which was visibly straining at its rivets.

Smith's deceleration was too late. The truck went into a prolonged skid and Martinez was thrown to the floor. He glanced back sharply at the capsule as the first rivet popped, and threw his arms over his head and neck as the capsule burst, sending shrapnel and shards of ice in every direction.

* * *

The two agents in the escort car pulled over at the first signs of ice, and could only watch on helplessly as the truck lost control. The back of the truck violently exploded outwards, and the truck, already sideways from the prolonged skid, rolled over twice before lurching to a stop on its side. A man and a woman, dressed in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, disembarked from the escort car and rushed to the downed vehicle.

"Smith!" The man called, spotting him in the cab of the truck.

The woman was already pulling out a radio, "Greg, I'm calling it in; go check on Smith and Martinez." A radio switch flicked. "This is Agent Melanie Leall, escorting truck Sierra Charlie One Seven Four. There's been an accident and Smith is down. Martinez's whereabouts unknown. Secure cargo is classed as highly volatile. Requesting immediate backup. Over."

A few seconds of white noise, and then a hurried response sounded. "It may be a few, Leall. We'll send the closest team over ASAP, but we're dealing with worst case scenario here - Fury's chopper is down and chatter is that the Tesseract is gone. Hold down the fort until backup arrives. Over."

She huffed and tossed the radio back in the car before sprinting towards the wrecked truck. She met the other agent as he stepped away from the cab.

"Greg - any sign of Martinez?"

"No. Smith is alive, but he might have a broken bone or three. I'm not an EMT, though - I don't want to move him unless we have to. Martinez must have been in the back."

They approached the wreckage that is the back of the truck with some trepidation. Melanie shivered, her eyes scanning the patches of ice on the ground. "Any idea what the cargo was?"

Greg shook his head. "Not specifically. Highly volatile. High energy output. And I'm assuming kept in some sort of deep freeze from all this ice."

Rounding the corner, they saw Martinez on the ground, bits of metal and ice embedded into his arms and legs, surrounded by a pool of icy blood. A young woman stood over him, examining his injuries. Clad in an ethereal blue dress and cape, with long blond hair woven into a braid, she showed no visible injuries from the crash or explosion. She was grasping a shard of ice in her left hand.

Melanie was the first to draw her sidearm. "Step away from Martinez and put your hands where I can see them."

Obviously surprised, the young woman spun, flinging ice in their direction. Crystalline shards erupted from the ground near the agents. Shocked, the agents stepped back, but kept their eyes and guns fixed on the blonde. Her body trembled; her eyes darted in every direction, taking in the wreckage of the truck and the appearance of the two agents.

Melanie took a single step forward, before repeating her command, "I said step away from Martinez." Holstering her gun, she whispered to her partner, "Remind me to tell Fury personally that 'Highly Volatile' is a bad term for an imprisoned Meta."

* * *

Elsa awoke. She was lying in the remains of what she believed to be a coffin. Confused about why she'd awoken at all, she looked about. There was a man nearby. He was unconscious, and wounded, metal and ice shards buried in his arms and legs. He was alive, though. Then she heard the shout.

"Step away from Martinez and put your hands where I can see them!"

Her head still dazed, Elsa spun, automatically defending herself with her magic. Crystalline shards erupted from the ground near the agents. Shocked, the two people stepped back, but kept their eyes and hand items pointed at her. "I said step away from Martinez."

"S_nakker de norsk?_" she asked, still trying to clear her head.

The woman took a single step forward, before repeating her command a third time, "I said step away from Martinez."

English? They were speaking English? Where _was_ she? She fixed on the speaker. "English?" she asked.

The woman nodded only slightly, and stared unblinkingly at Elsa. She lowered the item in her hand and raised a hand in a sign of non-violence. "You speak English?"

Elsa finally began to calm. "Some. I learned, but not as well as other languages. Am… am I in Hell?"

The woman arched an eyebrow, putting her item into a sheath on her belt. Elsa could see them whispering to each other. "Some days I think so. Let's walk over here, let people look at my friend."

* * *

Elsa walked with the strange woman for a few steps into the darkness of the night. Confusion, anger, and fear warred in her mind as she wondered what sort of afterlife she had been condemned to. The woman walking with her was oddly dressed, in men's trousers no less, and not what she was expecting in either angel or devil.

For a few steps, they were both silent. Ice spread out from her feet with every step, covering the sand and dirt with frost. Glancing at her oddly dressed companion, in a trembling voice, she asked, "If this is not Hell, where is my sister?" _Am I denied to see her even in this afterlife?_

Something seemed to click, and the woman asked, startled. "Do you think you're dead?

The shard of ice that she had forgotten she was carrying suddenly felt heavy in her left hand. A shard of _Anna._ "I should be," Elsa whispered. She clutched at the ice. She could feel the wind gathering strength around her. _I want to be_. But she wasn't. What happened. _Where am I_?

The other woman shivered at the icy wind. "No, you're not dead. I am getting cold, though. Can you, turn down the wind a bit?"

Elsa took a deep breath, her mantra of control repeating in her mind. _Don't feel._ The stoic calm of the other woman and the lack of fear in the her eyes helped. _Don't feel._ The wind slowed slightly. _Don't feel._ Her fears slightly abated, confusion was now predominate. _She clearly knows, and she isn't trying to burn me at the stake yet, so that's something. Who is this woman? Where am I…. and_ "What manner of thing is _that_?"

Following her eyes, the other woman muttered something nonsensical, sounding like "extraterrestrial or predates automobiles." _An English idiom, perhaps? _"It's a horseless carriage," she said finally.

"A horseless carriage," Elsa whispered. How was this possible? She continued to stare.

"Hey," the woman said, trying to recapture her attention, "Don't worry about that thing for now. I'll answer your questions as best as I can, but can you answer a few of mine?"

The other woman's voice was overly sweet. _She's not the first to walk on eggshells near me. Control. Don't feel. Don't feel._ She shut her eyes before nodding shakily.

"Let's start with something simple - can you tell me your name?"

She opened her eyes to meet the other woman's. _Queen Elsa, the first of her name, protector and sovereign of Arendelle. Snow Queen. Ice Sorceress._ "Elsa. What is yours?"

"Melanie. Nice to meet you Elsa. Do you have a surname?

_The royals of Arendelle do not have a family name. Of Arendelle, maybe?_ Elsa shook her head.

"Can you tell me where you're from?"

Her response was immediate. "Arendelle." _Arendelle. Anna._ Her breath quickened again and bits of snow started to fall.

Melanie took a step closer. "Elsa, try to stay calm. If this is difficult for you, we can just chat about something else." Another step closer, and a more lighthearted tone. "I love your dress."

_I'm dangerous. Please don't step closer. I could run, but to where? Where am I?_ With a pained cry, she warned, "Just stay away."

Melanie's retreat was quick, taking three steps away from the girl. "Okay - I'm not trying to put pressure on you. I just want to know more, so that I can help you. You don't need to be afraid. I only want to help."

_Don't feel._ Deep breath. _Don't feel._ The knot in her chest loosened a bit. _Don't feel._ "Where am I? How did I get here?"

Melanie looked flustered, "You are in the Mojave desert in Arizona, United States," she finally replied. Elsa stared at her again. "Let me help you, Elsa. What is the last thing you remember?"

_Snow. Death. Anna._ Like a bursting dam, a torrent of emotion washed over her. Her expression hardened like the ice at her feet. The wind whipped at her cape and the temperature plummeted. Her jaw tightened as she ground out, "I remember welcoming death. How did I get here? What do you want of me?"

Melanie's held a hand up to shield her eyes from the sting of the building flurry, shivering from the cold. Snow was accumulating around them. "Elsa, take a deep breath and calm down."

A rumbling noise to her left broke through the sound of the storm. Another of the metal carriages she had seen earlier approached, untethered from any animal. Four men scrambled from the carriage and took up positions around it, leveling what could only be weapons of some kind at her.

Ignoring them completely, Elsa could only focus on the shard of ice in her left hand. The vision of Anna shattering, so recently seared into her mind, consumed her. The small snow storm grew thick enough to obstruct her vision, and the wind began to howl in her ears. She was losing control. She didn't want to hurt them.

"Elsa, please calm down. I want to help you."

If anything, the wind began to move faster. "Just… just stay away from me!" She ran a few steps from Melanie, only to be cut off by one of the new arrivals. "I said stay back!" A wave of her hands and a gust of wind knocked the man from his feet.

"Elsa. we aren't going to hurt you. Please calm down and let us help." Melanie had followed her, but the building snow was making it difficult for anyone to move quickly.

"Leave me alone!" With a wave of her hands, she crafted six figures of ice, bearing ice-wrought swords and shields. The ice warriors advanced on Melanie and the others, intent on defending their creator. Melanie futilely reached for the weapon on her hip, iced to her belt. She visibly struggled to remain standing through the building storm.

A loud voice sounded over the wind, "Stop what you are doing and step away from Agent Leall. No one needs to die today." Melanie raised her arms to block a blow from the first ice warrior. Her mind flashed to Anna making the same gesture, trying to defend Elsa from Hans.

Horrified, she waved her hands to stop her creations, silently commanding through the snow itself that the warriors were to slow their progress but harm no one. She ran a few steps further away, and pouring herself into the magic, raised both hands. An wall of ice rose from the ground between Elsa and the others. Tears in her eyes, she fled.

* * *

Neither she, nor the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, noticed a figure observing them at a distance, hidden in the darkness, grinning and listening.


	3. Chapter 2

_I cannot run forever._

Out of breath and alone, Elsa's pace slowed. The trail of ice she had left in her wake gleamed conspicuously in the moonlight, contrasted as it was against the dirt and brush. She sighed and tried to will the ice away. Failing to do so, she inhaled deeply, dry air filling her as she tried to collect her thoughts.

_Conceal, don't feel. Think. Hans lied about Anna, but everything he said came true anyway. She froze, and shattered, and then… I don't remember. How did I get here? _She glanced down at the shard of ice in her hand. _I still have a piece of Anna to remember her by._

She reached up, and with a wave of her hand, fashioned a thin chain of ice to which she attached the shard, donning it as a pendant necklace. The silence was broken by a slight wind, rustling through the brush near her feet.

_I'll never hear Anna's voice again. Or hear her knock on my door. Or… or…_ Another deep breath. _Don't feel._ She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around herself. _Don't feel._ The air grew colder, and she felt bits of snow on her skin. _Don't feel._

A voice, very nearby, interrupted her thoughts. "We are far from home, aren't we?"

Ice flew from her fingertips before she knew what was happening, driving spikes upwards from the ground and into the body of the newcomer, but it passed straight through him without incident. He stared at her unflinchingly, ignoring the ice.

He was clad in an ostentatious horned helm, bronze armor, and green cape, with a wide grin that did not reach his eyes. The spear in his hand was unlike any she had ever seen before, but he was not wielding it in a threatening manner. His blue eyes blazed at her.

"A queen out of time. Blood infused with the magic of Jotunheim, and beauty to match her power. You radiate magic as a beacon on this otherwise mundane and pathetic world; I knew of no mortals with access to such power."

_What? If I am out of time, then I really am dead? And he refers to mortals as separate from himself…_ "Who are you?"

He gave a slight, somewhat mocking, bow, the grin never leaving his face. "I am Loki, of Asgard, and you wield a power not of this world. I sensed your magic when you fought the cretins who would chain you. Lesser beings, they who fear and hunt and persecute you, jealous and in awe of your magic. Those with great power have a responsibility and a duty to rule over lesser men."

His smile was unsettling, and the coldness of his eyes spoke of underlying malevolence.

_Loki? As in the pagan god of old? To meet the gods, I must be dead. But then where is my sister?_ She felt herself trembling and stopped short. _Don't feel. Think. If I remember the Eddas, 'Loki is beautiful and comely to look upon, evil in spirit'… and he is the originator of deceit. If this man lies, there is the matter of how he is unaffected by the ice. If he speaks true, then he is the god of trickery and deceit, and I must be cautious. But I do not have the patience to be circumspect now._ "What do you want?"

It did not seem possible, but his grin widened. "My crown, a birthright which I have been denied. Failing that, dominion of this world as recompense. The worship and loyalty of every mortal being on this planet. And you're going to help me."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. This did not sound like a request, and more order than prediction. "Excuse me.. what?"

"You are going to help me. You channel the ice of Ymir himself, with powers I have not seen since the frost giants lost the Casket of Ancient Winters. Such a thing should not be possible by a mortal such as yourself, and I find myself… curious. You are blessed with great power, and such power is meant to be used."

His words were smooth, although many of them unfamiliar to Elsa, and she was unsure exactly what he wanted of her. And she had no desire to help the master of lies.

Her reluctance must have shown, as his countenance shifted, blue eyes blazing into her. "You shall help me, willingly or coerced. Agree to help me of your own volition, and I will grant you whatever you wish. What is your greatest desire? Restoration of your crown? Revenge against the masses who betrayed and hunted you? Or something more… personal?"

_What is my price?_ The questions had barely been uttered before the answer, so obvious, weighed on her mind. _Anna. What would I sacrifice that she might know peace? I do not know of her ultimate fate. If this really is Loki, and the Eddas are true…_ "I would help you, on one condition. I want to speak to my sister, which may require the cooperation of your daughter. If I could talk to Anna once more, then I would consider your request." _Take care not to agree explicitly, for who knows how strictly a verbal agreement with a god might be enforced?_

Loki's eyes widened, however briefly, and his words were slow and less honeyed, but his smile didn't so much as flinch. "I have not spoken with Hela in a very long time. But if that is your price, I will arrange a... reunion. You may even enjoy Niffleheim, given your abilities. Although, it will have to wait. I am not physically here," his visage flickered before her eyes, "and cannot project from a projection."

His eyes left her, and focused on something over her shoulder. "I will call on you at a later time, as I fear our conversation will end shortly. You may want to duck, or call upon your magic, as your pursuers have arrived."

"Pursuers?" She felt a small sting in the back of her neck. Reaching up, she drew a small cylinder with an elongated metal tip from the spot of the pain, looking at it curiously.

"Pursuers." He pointed at a spot a hundred leagues or so in the distance. A glint of moonlight revealed a few of the oddly dressed individuals from before trying to hide on a small ridge. Her eyelids felt heavy. _And must my fatigue from the last few days finally catch up to me now?_

She turned back to Loki to find that the unsettling smile was back. _What sort of devil am I dealing with?_ "I'll be in touch" was the last thing she heard, watching his image fade away. The world started to spin, and the icy ground rose up to meet her.

* * *

Awareness came gradually. The air was first; it was incredibly dry. Her throat and nose burned with each breath. Her head pounded, her tongue felt too large for her mouth, and her upper lip had cracked; running her dry tongue over the crack, she gave a small wince of pain.

Blearily opening her eyes, a soft light blue met her vision in all directions. Smooth, featureless walls lay to her left and right, with a similarly smooth ceiling, although with a single light source in the center that looked to be the strangest lamp she had ever seen. The far wall had a split that had to be a door, although she could see no handle.

Stretching a bit, she felt the bed shift beneath her. Glancing about, the bed had no posts, but a beige rail along one side with several small red circles with figures drawn onto them. Besides the bed, there was a small assortment of other furniture in the room; a table sat against the left wall with a pair of chairs on either side and a bit of what might be food atop it, and an overstuffed chair with a split in the leather on its armrest was to her right.

Raising herself onto her elbows, she pushed off the uncomfortably warm and itchy bedding. An odd weight on her forearms caused her to glance down, and she noticed strange metallic bracers on both of her arms, possibly bronze or a similar metal, covered in odd accents and accoutrements. A pair of these accents on each bracer seemed to generate their own light, a red fire that blinked slowly on and off.

Her head throbbing with the beat of some unseen drum, she slowly tried to collect her thoughts, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her with memories of recent events.

_Anna. Ice. Death._ Trembling, she forced a deep breath. _Don't feel. The injured man. The strangely dressed English speakers. A rocky desert and Loki and… and where am I now?_

She slid out of the bed, noting that while she still wore her ice dress, her shoes had been placed at the foot of the bed at some point. The ground was pleasantly cool to her feet. Walking over and lowering herself somewhat gingerly into one of the chairs, she stared at the selection of food. Moderate hunger forced a closer inspection, otherwise, she would have been wary of eating at all. _It's been days since I last ate a decent meal. These meat and vegetables look somewhat recognizable, even some of the other things on the table do not. And the tray is unlike any material I've ever seen - not metal, ceramic, or wood._ A glass container with water was her first target - _no, not glass; transparent as glass, though, and similar in feel to the tray_ \- the water passed her dry lips and she noted its clarity. _The clearest water I've ever seen._

_Unfamiliar food. Strange materials. Meeting with gods, or a god at least. These do not help me answer the only two questions that matter: am I dead, and what is Anna's fate? Anna… Control it. Don't feel. _She idly pushed food about the plate while trying to reign in her emotions. _How would I know if I was dead or not, if I found myself in the afterlife? And what sort of deal did I strike with Loki, assuming that was Loki; if this is some sort of purgatory, was that all just a test? Treat this as a puzzle, Elsa. You used to enjoy doing puzzles in your room to pass the time._

Answers were not forthcoming as she pondered the mystery, so she made an attempt to eat. The meat was unpleasantly tough and the vegetables overcooked, but it was otherwise palatable. A few bites and any lingering hunger was displaced by curiosity.

Her musings were interrupted by the door swinging open, a man and woman entering. Their faces were austere and their dress similar to the English speakers she had seen before. _Another woman in trousers…_ The pair focused on her immediately upon entering, and she set down the fork she had been using, hoping that she might finally get a few answers. The woman looked to the man; he gave a nod and she cleared her throat.

"Your highness," the woman apparently realized Elsa was royalty as Loki had, though how, she was not sure, "I am Agent Hill. My colleague is Doctor Samson." _Father sent for a doctor, when I was very young. My curse cannot be treated medically. And 'Agent' is a rather strange title. An agent of whom?_

Hill continued, her voice soft and serious. "As a matter of formality, what is appropriate style? I was unsure if 'your highness' or 'your majesty' is more appropriate."

_'Your majesty' would be more appropriate, if propriety were observed. It hardly matters, as I quite literally threw my crown away. As far as I am concerned, I have abdicated, and if not for me Anna would be… No. Don't feel._ She took another long drink of water before answering. "Just Elsa, if you please."

"Elsa, there isn't an easy way to say this so I'm going to be direct. You have been frozen for a very long time. We aren't sure how you survived, exactly; we assume your abilities are to thank for that."

_So I am alive? And_ "How long is a _very long time_, exactly?" _Was I frozen for a few months? Oh God - a few years? What transpired while I was frozen?_

"Today is the tenth of April," The woman's somber voice paused, long enough for a feeling of dread to start building in Elsa's chest, "in the year twenty twelve."

She couldn't breathe. The woman was talking, but Elsa could not hear her. _One hundred and seventy years. Everyone, everything is gone. What became of Arendelle, with Anna's death and my absence? Anna… Anna has been dead for generations. What happened? Why should I live and she die?_ Her hands were shaking, her vision blurred, and the room started to spin.

She felt arms supporting her, lifting her to her feet. At some point, she had slid out of the chair and onto the floor. They lifted her back into a chair, softer than the one she had previously sat in, her unfocused stare barely noticing when the woman left the room.

A cacophony of voices in her head shouted simultaneously, a thousand thoughts swirling in the icy pool of her mind. _My entire life is in the distant past. My parents, Anna - they would at best be historical figures in a dusty tome, at worst, forgotten with the passage of time. And I? I apparently froze myself after witnessing Anna… Anna's death. I killed my own sister, and must live to be tormented by this fact every day. To live is the true curse. Not the ice. Wait. Ice?_ Her mind was shocked from its ramblings with one startling realization; she felt tears streaming down her face.

Warm, wet, unfrozen tears.

Now intently focused, her eyes scanned the floor, the walls, the furniture. There was no ice. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stared at her hands. Focusing, she channeled her magic; the tears on her fingers chilled but did not freeze.

"Your abilities have been temporarily suppressed." The man's voice startled her; she had forgotten that he was even in the room. "They were under the assumption that you do not have complete control over your powers."

_They were right, whoever they are. But, suppressed?_ "How?" _Does it matter how? This is incredible! It could have saved…_ She felt a stab of heartache and quickly suppressed it.

Samson gestured to the bracers on her forearms. "The bracers. They can be shut off at any time. Do you see the small switch on the side of each? Flip the switch and give it a try."

She did so, and focusing the magic, sent a small flurry of snowflakes into the air. Having never willingly demonstrated her powers so freely for a stranger, she studied his face for a reaction. Seeing only a small smile and a look of general tranquility, she relaxed, but flicked the switch to suppress her power once more. _A cage for me, for my magic. But if I hold the key, is it really a cage?_ "How is this possible?"

"I'm not sure on the specifics, but they've been studying magic like yours for many years."

"I'm sorry, who are 'they'?"

"SHIELD. An international peacekeeping organization. They brought me in to talk with you, and help you with the aftereffects of your thawing. Though you seem remarkably calm, given the circumstances."

_Practice. And Anna…. Anna was already gone. One year or a hundred might pass, and that would not change. Does anything else matter?_ A deep breath and her regal mask was in place. "I am stronger than I look, doctor."

"Samson, please. And I don't doubt your strength, but you have lost your entire life overnight; it would not be weakness to mourn."

There were a few minutes of silence as she pondered his words. _I mourned for my parents years ago. I mourn for Anna… and that is a penance I will pay every day for the rest of my life. The others? Do I mourn for the townsfolk who shunned me in fear? For the nobles that shouted and chased me out only hours after I was crowned? For those who tried to kill me in my ice palace? No. I would not wish ill of them, but with almost two centuries past, the only person for whom I mourn is Anna._

He set a familiar shard of ice on the table before her. Reaching up to where she had previously worn it, and realizing it had been missing the whole time, she snatched it off of the table. She hurriedly deactivated one of the wristguards and refashioned the necklace to suspend the piece of ice. Once it was replaced around her neck, she drew a shuddering breath.

He had observed her as she did this, not saying a word. After she finished, he drew a few sheets of paper from the beige folio that he had brought with him and passed them to her.

"I had a pair of friends put these together last night. This wasn't actually part of my job, but it will be helpful in bringing you up to speed on the last two centuries. It should also give you something to work on; I have found that it can help to keep the mind productive."

She glanced at the first sheet. It was remarkably well pressed for something hastily written the night before, and she commented as such.

"Ah, one more thing to add to the list then," he took one of the sheets, scribbled the word 'typewriter' at the head of the list, and added the sheet back to the stack. "There are one hundred items on each of these lists. As you're able, I'd like you to ask anyone you can about items on the lists; if someone doesn't know any details, move on and ask someone else. I would be hard pressed to adequately describe everything on these lists myself," he glanced at the first sheet, "the Franco-Prussian war, for instance. They are lists assembled detailing the changes to the world over the last one hundred and seventy years. The first two pages are the one hundred most important historical events, with something of a Eurocentric focus, the next pages are a list of one hundred important inventions, and then a current political map of the world."

Elsa blinked at the long lists before her. _Almost two centuries in the future and it's like I have tutors all over again. Anna would hate this._ A short refrain of _Don't feel_ and she started to skim the lists.

"Fill them out as you'd like. If you have any questions, I'll attempt to answer them as best as possible. For now, I'd like to talk to you about your life and your powers, if that's alright with you?"

She said nothing. Talking about historical events and inventions was one thing. Her own past, however, was not something she was comfortable discussing. She shifted in the chair but remained silent.

He seemed to notice her unease and changed directions. "Let's start with something pleasant. What can you tell me about Olaf?"


	4. Chapter 3

Samson sat with Agent Phil Coulson in a small conference room; Elsa's file rested on the table between them.

She was terrified at first," Samson reported. "She kept asking 'If we knew?'. After a moment, it clicked in to wonder how we knew about him."

"And what did you tell her?" Phil asked.

"That he had mentioned him in her sleep," Samson said, disgusted. He hated lying like this. If he'd thought that SHIELD wouldn't continue to keep her isolated, he might have told her the truth. "If we could reunite her with someone from her own era…"

"We would probably cut off the last chance we have of getting to the truth of what happened in Arendelle," Phil cut off smoothly. "What's your diagnosis?"

"Other than the culture shock," Samson replied, "PTSD and a severe case of… Ms. Romanov," he said, nodding. The red haired woman had appeared just inside his field of vision. He wondered just how long she'd been there.

Phil nodded his acknowledgement of Natasha's quiet presence. "She's been read in," Coulson said. "Please continue."

That bothered Samson. Fury was known for only giving people information that he thought they absolutely needed. That he thought the Black Widow should know about Elsa most likely meant he was considering the woman out of time as a potential asset. Alternatively, Black Widow was an on call executioner. Neither thought gave Doc any confidence.

"And a severe case of Self-Guilt," Samson finished. "She thinks she did something to, quite literally, damn her."

"That's interesting," said Coulson, "Agent Leall's report suggested she was quite concerned for Agent Martinez."

"...and it has something to do with that piece of ice she's wearing. I'd stake my license on it." He frowned. "Not much else that wasn't already part of the briefing. She admitted that her parents died three years before her coronation, and she also claimed credit for the ice palace near the mountain mentioned in the Arendelle Glacier report." Dr. Samson tapped the file folder. "She was very surprised to hear it was still standing. Now, if I could have her in a stable environment for a month or so, I might be able to coax whatever happened to create the glacier out of her."

"No time," Romanov said. "Director Fury has been watching your interview, and believes giving her something to focus on might be the best way to snap her out of self pity." She turned to Phil. "We take off as soon as Mr. Rogers and Dr. Banner arrive."

Coulson's eyes went momentarily star struck.

"You're excused," Natasha said, allowing herself a slight grin. Then she turned back to Samson and acknowledged his outraged expression.

"Focus on?!" Samson fumed. "History? Comics? Video Game? A Bejeweled knockoff?"

"A mission," Natasha replied calmly, "Yes. We're that desperate."

Doc's mouth snapped shut as his mind continued to process everything she had just said. "Wait, Dr. **Bruce** Banner?" he asked. "Is Fury actually that crazy?"

Natasha gave him a thin smile, then a pack of gum. "It'll be her first time in a pressurized environment," she said. "She'll want something to help her ears pop."

* * *

Elsa had finished eating when the Doctor returned. His face was a mask to mirror Elsa's own. "The food here isn't anything to be proud of," he admitted. He reached into his coat, and pulled out a small package. From it he withdrew a small stick. He eyed it critically, mumbled something, then unwrapped it and popped the contents into his mouth. Then he held it out for Elsa. "Take one," he offered. She did.

She looked over it, her English was rusty. "Extra Chewing Gum. Winterfresh flavor," she read phonetically. She looked at Samson, puzzled. In the distance she could hear a gentle hum startup.

"Don't swallow it," he warned her. "You'll want something to chew in a moment."

Elsa looked at it suspiciously, then unwrapped the paper and metallic wrapping. She put the unwrapped item in her mouth and chewed experimentally. It was cool and sweet in her mouth. It wasn't chocolate, but she decided she liked it.

Which is when her ears clogged. She swallowed instinctively, and the uncomfortable feeling passed. Elsa looked at Samson, who was making his own uncomfortable swallowing motions.

"What was that?" Elsa asked.

She was answered by a knock on the door. It opened a second later. "It'll be easier to show you," the woman said.

Elsa looked to the speaker. She was a lithe woman in form fitting black leather, not unlike the uniforms she had seen earlier. Her curly red hair just touched the collar. Her brown eyes locked onto Elsa's. There was a piercing intelligence to them, but she just gave a bow. "Queen Elsa," she began formally.

"Elsa will do," Elsa interrupted.

"Elsa," She began again. "My name is Natasha Romanov. Captain Nicholas has requested your presence on the bridge."

For a change, these were terms Elsa understood. "Is this a ship?" she asked, confused.

"It is a sort of ship," Natasha said. "If you would follow me."

Elsa stood and followed her through a maze of twisty little corridors that looked mostly alike. When they emerged onto the bridge, Elsa got a good view of all the people working in front of some mysterious artifacts, and outside the large window… Elsa gave a gasp, and the temperature in the room dropped four or five degrees despite her bracers. She closed her eyes and repeated her mantra. Clearly they believe this is safe. I can control it. She felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched away, but the hand remained. Opening her eyes and looking at her escorts, she saw a man in a black leather jacket. He held the hand up apologetically, and as she turned back forward, she caught him out of the corner her eye shaking the hand out.

"How is this possible?" she asked. "Not even the North Mountain is this high."

A man in front of her cleared his throat, and Elsa stepped back again. She'd heard of Africans, but had never actually seen one. This one had an eyepatch like a pirate.

"That would get very technical, Ms. Elsa," he said, giving her a nod. "I'm Captain Nicholas Fury, director of SHIELD, and let me offer you a belated welcome to the SHIELD Helicarrier." He continued in a crisp, confident tone. "I understand you've done some things you regret. Most of us here have. Some of them very recently."

Elsa regarded him curiously, absently fingering the piece of ice around her neck.

"I can't offer you absolution. The past is, as they say, in the past. But maybe I can offer you redemption." He turned to face the sky for a moment. "The world is getting stranger. People with strength and technology beyond most people." He turned back to Elsa. "An alien called Loki has stolen an extremely powerful energy source and has promised to bring war to our planet. I believe you've met."

Elsa gave him a surprised curt nod, but no further reply. Alien?

"I'm gathering some people with the abilities to catch and stop him. The fate of our whole word is at stake. I'd like… and I probably need, your help. Are you willing to give it?" He looked past her, giving her a moment to think.

"Mr. Steven Rodgers, Dr. Bruce Banner? Allow me to introduce Elsa Arendelle: the Ice Sorceress."

From behind her, the jacketed man strode past her, and handed a green piece of paper to Captain Fury.

Fury put it in his pocket without saying anything.


	5. Chapter 4

"Ms. Romanov, would you please show Dr. Banner to his lab?" Fury directed.

"You'll love it Doc," said the woman who'd recently shown Elsa in. She took one of the men behind Elsa, and led him out of the room. "We have all the toys."

Elsa had barely heard. She was one hundred plus years into the future and… people were not afraid of her. They had given her a way to control her curse… and they were asking for her help.

"I am not sure, Captain." Elsa said, in her accented English. "I am not used to your time." She frowned, that didn't sound quite right.

"I understand completely," said Mr. Rogers. Elsa turned to look up at him. His voice had the same calm, crisp tone of Captain Fury, but it was mixed with a warmth that Fury didn't completely share. His build, though, reminded her of Prince Hans, if not even bigger and stronger.

"You understand?" Elsa asked, confused as how anyone could relate to her broken English phrasing.

"After the Second World War…" Elsa blanched further at that phrase. The entire world could be at war? But she did not interrupt. "...I crashed into a glacier off of Greenland. I, somehow, survived. Fifty years later, I was pulled out of the ice. This world isn't the same one I remember."

It was somewhat similar, Elsa admitted to herself. "It is a difference of length," Elsa told him, allowing a small bit of warmth into her voice. "But I thank you, Mr. Rogers," she said with a small nod and a hint of a smile.

She turned back to the Captain. "But I am not a…" she gestured to the people around her. "_Soldat". _

"But maybe you don't have to be," Captain Fury said. "I understand you are able to summon creatures of snow and ice, that follow your orders. Are you capable of raising an army?"

Elsa looked at Fury, her thoughts racing. "I… do not know. In my time, I kept my curse hidden. I had no way to control it. So I did not practice it. I do not know how powerful, or… how many… these golems could be."

Fury raised the eyebrow Elsa could see. "Don't you want to find out? If I were you, I'd want to find the limits of my magic, rather than finding out about it at the worst possible moment."

Elsa's shock was evident on her face. He **wanted** her to use her powers? Not just give her a way to control them, but actively use them? She simply looked flustered. She opened her mouth, stammered for a moment, and closed it again. "I… am not sure that I do, Captain."

Fury's visible eye closed for a moment. "I understand. I still would like you to go along with Mr. Rogers, when it comes time to apprehend Loki. We're not sure completely what he is capable of."

Elsa took a deep breath and steadied her thoughts. It would give her a chance to see if Loki had been able to make contact with her sister, but they didn't need to know that. "I… I accept, Captain."

Fury gave an approving nod. "You're welcome to take a seat, or we have a room that you can rest in." He frowned for a moment, looking Elsa up and down. "Mr. Coulson? Would you be willing to help Ms. Elsa find something that might blend in a little better?"

A balding man, wearing a similar grey fine looking outfit. He wore a friendly smile on his face walked up from behind her, startling Elsa. "Elsa, I'm Phil Coulson. I think we can find something for you. Would you be willing to follow me?"

She frowned slightly, then nodded, and left the cockpit to follow Coulson.

Doc Samson waited until Elsa was *well* clear of the room before he went after Fury's plan. Captain America had stepped up to support him. "You're crazy, Fury. She's not prepared for this. You have no right to…" He was cut off.

"She volunteered, Dr. Samson," Fury said flatly. "And I know that haunted look she has. She is brooding in a way that will lead her to depression, if not outright self destruction. She needs to feel valued, to know that she can do good in the world." He beckoned Doc over to his podium. An image of Elsa's room was on one of the monitors. "I have been paying attention to very little else. I may only be able to keep half an eye on her, but I have kept a full ear on the situation, and she reminds me, very deeply, of someone."

"Who?" Captain Rogers asked.

"Ms. Romanov."

* * *

"I just want you to know," Phil said, "I think you did the right thing." His voice was warm and pleasant. "I know this can't have been easy for you. Diving in speaks well to your character. My di… captain is right, we don't know what we are in for. I heard once to 'Never be afraid to be ask for help. It can be found in the most unexpected places.' I've always liked it."

"Where did you hear that?" Elsa asked politely.

"Merlin," Phil answered. "It was an adventure... story that used him as a famous wizard. Nothing to do with the King Arthur stories." He paused. "Have you heard of King Arthur?" he asked.

"The legendary king of England?" she confirmed. "I've heard of Merlin. My father used to tell us stories like those."

"There you go," Phil said, smiling. "Of course, the next line he gave was, 'I can't help you for nothing, that never does any good at all, really.' So if there's anything I can do to help you adjust, or anything you need, please ask."

Elsa gave him a slight smile. There was an earnest feeling from Phil, he felt real to her. She gave him a slight curtsy. "Thank you, Mr. Coulson."

"Please, call me Phil," he said. "Ah, we're here." Here, as it turned out, was a bit of a closet. Phil looked at her ice dress, and a brief look of discomfort flitted across his face.

"As I understand it, you're more used to wearing skirts and dresses," Phil said, beginning to rustle through the the display of clothing. He pulled out a grey skirt and shirt that looked very similar to what she'd seen the others of this… organization in, and handed them over.

She held them up against her chest and nodded. "These should fit, but they look so… cloudy. Like an overcast day."

"That's kind of the idea, neutral colors are harder to see and recognize."

Could she hide like that again? Elsa thought they wanted her to use her powers. "I understand my clothing may be… 'Out of time'. But I am not intending to hide. I hid once, and it did not help me. Mis… Phil," she amended. "Where may I change?" she asked.

"There's a bathroom right over there," Phil told her.

Elsa nodded, opened the door, and closed it behind her.

Phil turned away, touching the communicator on his ear. "I think we have a lead, sir. Have the records team check for a sibling. She definitely said that her father told 'us' stories. I'd ask the snowman."


	6. Chapter 5

"You lied to me," Elsa complained as she emerged.

Phil raised an eyebrow and looked mildly offended.

"There was no bath in that room," she told him. She was dressed in the uniform that had been procured on her. A thin layer of frost, enough to turn the entire suit a dark blue (the same color as her now missing dress), coated the entire thing. A large six pointed snowflake on the back told Phil she was clearly done hiding. And yet, it still stood out less than her previous outfit.

Phil gave a small smile. "I apologize. It's an American term. Europeans tend to use the term restroom." Elsa looked quizzical. "Life in the 21st century isn't all sunbeams and flowers, but flush toilets are certainly an improvement over chamber pots."

Elsa blinked.

"I know Doc Samson had given you materials to help you catch up to our time period. I'd be happy to review them with you," he said, smiling.

Over the next hour or so, Elsa and Phil enjoyed a relaxing (to Elsa) conversation over some of the major improvements, specifically of transportation. The horseless carriages and airships fascinated Elsa. The wide world that had swallowed her parents… she banished the thought. There were safer ways of seeing the world now then clipper ships.

"So the shape forces air…" Phil had begun, when he put his hand to his ear. "I copy, sir. I'll report with Elsa to the quinnjet, and meet up with Captain America there."

Elsa blinked again.

"We haven't gotten to radio," Phil said thoughtfully, "I suppose I should have. The Captain will expect you to be able to keep in contact with him. Though hopefully you won't get too far from each other." He rifled through his pockets, eventually coming up with a small black device. He fiddled with it a bit, and showed it to Elsa. "It's… a far sound device. People can talk to you as if you were right next to them."

Elsa took it skeptically. Well, they'd created a device to control her magic. This sounded almost easy in comparison. She saw the little holes where she assumed the sound was supposed to come out, and rested it in her ear.

Phil nodded approvingly, and headed through another series of corridors, explaining that Loki had been located. Elsa had always had a knack for directions, and was able to discern that she was being led close to the front of the Helicarrier again. This time, though, she was led up through a stairwell onto a rather tightly closed door.

"Be careful," Phil warned. "We're going out onto the deck. It's about to get loud." He wasn't kidding.

Elsa was amazed at the sheer size of the… transport before her. Even after what Phil had told her about this vessel, she hadn't been prepared for the sheer size of it. It took her breath away. Again, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and instinctively flinched away from it.

This time it released, and she turned to look at at the large, impressive looking man, now decked out a blue, red, and white uniform. A shield was slung over her back, though he carried no obvious weapon. He was also wearing gloves. The blue mask gave her no clue to his identity He held up his hands in apology.

Easy, Ms. Elsa," he said, smiling. "I understand you didn't see this coming aboard, and it caught me by surprise too. I'm Captain Steve Rogers." Ah, the man in the black jacket from the bridge.

Elsa took a step away, clasping her arms around her chest. "My apologies, Mis.. Captain Rogers. Contact is risky, with me." She was fumbling the English, but she thought he understood. He was frowning.

"I trust you, Elsa," Phil said, smiling. "You may have needed some help, but you were willing to take it. What more can we ask?"

It was hard not to like Phil. The other people she had met were… nice, but they were professional. Phil was warm to her in a way that nobody other than Anna had been.

The temperature dropped a few degrees as she struggled to reign in her emotions. Phil simply stood there, smiling. "We better go, if we want to stop whatever Loki's planning in Germany." So saying, he led the way to one of the… Quinnjets… he had called them, strapped to the ship not far from where they stood.

There was already someone in it, the red haired woman from before. Captain Rogers went in next, sitting in the center compartment, a harness, like a novice horserider would use, secured him in place.. Elsa entered next, but Phil didn't follow suit. "Are you not coming, Phil?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. Fury's got me working on something else as well. I'll be the first to greet you when you come back. I promise." He gave her another warm smile and headed out of her line of sight.

"Better strap yourself in," the woman in the front said. "It's going to be a fast flight."

Elsa moved to the opposite bench as the hatch closed. It took her a few moments to figure out the harness, but she'd always been pretty good at puzzles, and with a replica to work with, she managed to secure herself.

The quinjet lifted effortlessly and took off through the sky, as dusk began to fall.

Elsa watched Captain Rogers for a few minutes, before realizing his eyes was closed.

"He's a soldier," said a voice in her ear. If she'd not been strapped in, she'd have jumped. "Sorry, forgot you weren't used to the earpiece. This is Natasha Romanov, your pilot, speaking."

Pilot. Phil had told her it was like a captain, for planes. She glanced toward the front of the plane. The redhead gave a wave, though she didn't obviously look back.

"It's been a long day, and it's probably going to be a longer night. I suggest you try to sleep."

Elsa hadn't imagined she'd be able to sleep like this. But once she closed her eyes, her body told her that she was more tired than she thought from the excitement of the day, and she was asleep fairly quickly.

* * *

A brief stretch of trumpet music played in Elsa's ear, jolting her awake.

"It's nowhere near dawn," complained Captain Rogers. "A simple 'we're here' would have sufficed."

"Captain, Elsa, there's a Helipad not far from the place Loki's been spotted. It'll be a bit of a jog on the ground to the place Loki's been spotted, but not more than a quarter mile," came Ms. Romanov's voice.

"I copy. Elsa? Will you be joining me out there? Fury hoped you might talk Loki down."

Elsa froze, unsure. They had asked for her help… but this seemed so very military. "I will do my best, Mister Rogers."

The sound of muffled laughter sounded in her ear.

"That's all I can ask," he said, stoically.

The back door opened. The Captain and Elsa unstrapped themselves. He pulled a large metal shield from the overhead, and stepped down from the plane. "Team," came Natasha's voice over the radio. "Loki was last seen in the Orchestra Hall, to the west, we're not sure what he's doing, but it's probably not good."

Captain Rogers broke into a steady jog, with Elsa having to run to keep up. There were large, foreign looking buildings around her. She could see people she didn't recognize, the very air seemed fouler, filled with scents she didn't recognize. Lamps lit by something other than oil dotted the streets. She couldn't get lost to time again, she focused her eyes on the Captain's shield, and kept in her run.

This went for only a few minutes before he pulled to a stop. Elsa's eyes had to adjust to the dark before she saw them, a small group of men carrying equipment she didn't recognize. they were fanning out in their direction. They hadn't noticed them, yet.

"Mercenaries," he said. "Armed, and we're on the clock. I could take them, but it'd take time we don't have."

Elsa looked at the problem. She didn't want to hurt them… just disable them. If this turned out to be some elaborate ploy… she turned off her bracers, and stepped forward, stomping her foot upon the ground. Ice spread along the ground, racing across under where the men stood. To their great surprise, their traction suddenly gave way, and they fell to the ground, the strange devices tumbling to the ground.

Rogers was springing into the crowd, the shield flashing in the air, as he threw it against legs and arms of the fallen men, carefully keeping his own balance. Elsa ran again to keep up, understanding only that the strange things were weapons of some kind.

One of the ones near the edge was about to pick it up, and she aimed a blast of her magic directly at it, as far from the man as possible. She was lucky, she hit. Ice ran down the thin part in front, towards the wider area the man was reaching for. He touched it and tore his hand back away, crying in a language she did not recognize.

"That was good work," Rogers said. "Hurr…" he looked into the distance and took off, leaving Elsa perplexed once again. Having no other idea, she hurried in the direction the Captain had disappeared in.

She got within hearing distance in time to see Loki dressed in battle armor, speaking in German, another language she had learned from her tutors. And what she heard horrified her. She did not interfere in the fight. She didn't dare. There were too many innocent people in the way, and if she turned off her bracers again… she didn't know if she had the self control not to freeze everything.

Luckily, she did not have to. She was about deafened by the squealing noises that came out of her earpiece and the arrival of the man in the loud metal suit.


	7. Chapter 6

Captain Rogers had escorted the prisoner Loki to the 'Quinnjet'. They were met there by the person in the flying metal suit. The helmet retracted, and he took it off. The face inside was hairy, with brown inquisitive eyes that bored into Elsa. He bowed low, causing the metal to creek. He sported a wide smile on his face.

"I thought Fury told me everyone he was bringing in for this, but he certainly didn't mention anyone as lovely as you," he told her as she joined him on the jet.

Elsa recognized a lech when she heard one. She gave him a cold flat look and went to sit down. Loki and Captain climbed in after her. Loki gave her a thin smile and nod of recognition, his eyes darting to her bracers. His face widened into a mirthless smile.

"Queen Elsa, it is good to see you in person. I've read so much about you since we first spoke."

Elsa felt her temper beginning to rise. She gritted her teeth. "Freedom is no lie," she said in German. "In the end, choice is all we have."

Mr. Rogers gave her an approving smile. She turned her back and didn't respond even when the metal suited man sat next to her.

There was quiet for a few minutes after they launched.

"Queen Elsa," the man in the armor said. "of Arendelle?"

She looked over at him again, her eyes narrowing.

He shrugged a meager apology.

"Just Elsa is fine, but yes. Of Arendelle. You've heard of it?" she asked.

"City-state in the Northwest area of what is now Norway. Was considered lost when it was covered with a dozen feet of ice, and is now known as the Arendelle glacier." He frowned, "That was one hundred and fifty years ago." An eyebrow cocked in realization. "The last recorded ruler of Arendelle was Queen-Apparent Elsa, with a sister named Anna. That was you."

Hearing him say the name of her sister sent chills down Elsa's spine. She shivered, and clasped her arms to her chest. The temperature in the jet dropped several degrees.

"And did you know?" Loki added conversationally, "That Elsa was responsible for her sister's death?"

Elsa's wide eyes locked onto Loki's. His smile was wide, and his eyes danced mischievously. It had been a guess, and he knew that the barb's mark was true. Elsa lowered her head to hands and wept.

"Ms. Romanov," she overheard, "Exactly how high is the AC running? Jarvis says it is fifty five degrees in here… and actually falling slowly."

The bracers are not perfect. I've got to control it. Don't feel. Don't feel! Elsa forced herself to blink away the tears, to swallow, to regain control of her sorrow. Anna was dead, and nothing could change that. She opened her eyes and saw the Captain's eyes focused on her.

"It was an accident," she said quietly.

He bowed his head, wiping some frost off his shield. "Maybe you sh…" He glanced at Loki. "Nevermind. Not now."

They rode in silence, the air warming again, each lost in their own thoughts. Rain began to splatter against the forward window. Loki looked up at the flash of lightning through the windows, and for the first time, he looked nervous.

"Big guy like you, scared of a little lightning?" asked Rogers incredulously.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki replied, still appearing nervous.

There was a crack of thunder, a thud of something landing on the ceiling, and before Elsa had time to scream, a large man had appeared, tore Loki from his seat, and gone out the door.

"Now there's that guy," the metal man said. He replaced his face mask and went after him. A few seconds later, above Natasha's complaints, Mr. Rogers went too. Elsa was quiet for several seconds. "You don't have to worry about me," Elsa told her. "I'm staying right here."

Natasha's laughter echoed in her earpiece.

* * *

Captain Fury was waiting with guards to personally escort the prisoner, Loki, away down the airship. Dr. Samson and Phil Coulson, on the other hand, were waiting for her. After a moment's indecision, Captain Rogers followed along. Phil spoke to him quietly for a moment, but Mr. Rogers sounded insistent. Phil relented over whatever it was, and the four of them re-entered the room where Elsa had originally been interviewed.

Elsa looked at them, guessing exactly why they were here. "You think I'm a monster," she said. She tried to be stoic about it, but her voice cracked. She hadn't known these people for more than a few hours, but they'd been nice to her, they'd trusted her. And now they knew.

"I think it's pretty clear you think of yourself as one," Dr. Samson said. His voice was quiet and slightly reproachful.

Captain Rogers sat down in one of the chairs that were now in the room, setting his shield down on the floor. "I've seen monsters, Ms. Elsa. Monsters that wanted to take over the world because they had access to power. " He looked into Elsa's eyes. She looked away, unable to meet them. "Monsters like that don't feel sorrow for others, even their family members."

"Why not sit down, Elsa?" Phil said. "Tell us everything. I promise that we won't judge until you give us the entire story.

How could she refuse an offer like that? She told them everything, from the first accident striking Anna, to their growing up, to Elsa's coronation and beyond. How her sister Anna had tried to rekindle the friendship Elsa had spoiled. Through it all, the other three listened, only stopping her to ask for small clarifications.

"If it weren't for the downer ending, that'd make one interesting movie," Phil said, when it was over. Both Rogers and Samson gave him askew glances. "I apologize, you are a good storyteller, Elsa."

"In my professional opinion," Dr. Samson told her, "The accidents occurred because you had no control over a phenomenon that humans were not meant to have. As you thought that you should be able to control them, you blamed yourself for the damage, especially when others were hurt. That doesn't make you a monster."

"It makes you human," all three of them said together.

"The real question is what you do next," Doc said. In Elsa's opinion, he appeared to be fighting off a grin. "SHIELD has helped you with control, and I'm sure, after this crisis is over, they would help you even further."

"I can speak for SHIELD, and Dr. Samson is correct. All of our resources are tied up looking for the Tesseract. Afterward will be another story," Phil added.

This sounded very altruistic to Elsa, and what SHIELD wanted was obvious. They wanted her help against the looming threat of non-specific 'War'. "I don't know what I can do help," she admitted, "But if you'll have me, if you can help me control the storm inside, I'll do what I can."

Mr. Rogers held out his ungloved hand. Elsa took it, tentatively. She saw Mr. Rogers wince ever so slightly when their hands met, but gamely hung on long enough to shake it. "And if you're feeling better," he said, "Let's go see what Fury's managed to wring out of Loki."

Phil had other business to attend to, and Samson said something about taking a nap. Elsa, and Rogers returned to the bridge just in time to hear Fury make a sarcastic offer for a "Magazine". The other three that they had returned to the carrier with were watching, as was a fourth, a man that had come on with Mr. Rogers.

They were discussing Loki's next move, and Elsa did not interrupt. The names went right over her head. All that she got out of it was that Loki was a mass murderer.

"It's a stabilizing agent," said in a man in what looked like very formal wear, walking in with Phil. He swept his gaze over the room. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." His eyes rested on Elsa for a moment. It took her a second to recognize his face. The 'metal' man she'd seen on the quinnjet. "And the last queen of Arendelle. Ice to meet you."

Rogers gave him a hard look, rolling his eyes. The muscular vest wearing man gave her an appraising one.

"Might want to get used to it, you'll probably hear it a lot," the former metal man said.

"Mr. Stark, Thor, Dr. Banner," Rogers said, "This is Elsa. She has a magical talent that lets her control snow and ice." He looked over to the waspish man with glasses. "To a certain point, they're fueled by her emotions. Something you'd understand - no offense."

Dr. Banner looked at Elsa curiously, looking over his glasses at her. "None taken, Captain."

"Now as I was saying…" Stark began again. Again the words flew over Elsa's head. From the look that Mr. Rogers was wearing, she was not alone. The only thing she understood ended in "Lose control, and turn into a giant green rage monster."

Before she could interject, Fury strode back into the room. "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube." With some line about flying monkeys later, Stark and Banner left, to be about the business of doing just that.

"Ice magic?" asked Thor. "Like the frost giants? It is no wonder Loki took an interest in you. Would you be willing to demonstrate?"

"Might be good for you," Rogers said. "We seem to have some down time, we can always check in with the eggheads later."

"Eggheads?" asked Thor and Elsa together.


	8. Chapter 7

They used the room that Elsa had woken up in. The men pushed the table and bed against one wall, and brought the chairs to another near the door. They took seats as if awaiting some sort of stage show.

Elsa took a deep breath steadied her nerves, and focused her mind. She looked at the three men, then turned her back, disabling her bracers as she turned. She could feel the frost forming beneath her feet. Let it. They wanted to see.

She started simple. A wall, like she'd used to defend herself against the crossbow men sent by the Duke of Wësselton. She stepped forward, making a fist with her right hand, and a wall of clear, perfect ice formed, about a foot thick.

Then she threw the ice darts. If they'd been on a cave wall, they'd have been… there was an English term for them. She couldn't remember it. The darts pierced the ice wall, leaving lines of spiderweb-like cracks.

Then… control. If she focused, she could create her ice castle in a smaller scale. She could remember it as if it were yesterday. She took a small step forward, picturing it. The staircase, the large doors. It was missing amenities… she knew that now. Her new model included large windows… even a bed.

When she was done, she was exhausted. Only once had she exerted her magic like this before, when she'd created the full scale castle, and this might have been harder. When she was done, she turned back to the audience. Mr. Rodgers and Thor applauded politely, while Phil clapped enthusiastically. He stood first, and moved to examine the castle in detail.

"That's amazing. This is the castle you made near your home, isn't it?" Phil asked.

"It is a gift," said Thor. "I have not seen ice used as art like this before."

"It's pretty impressive," Mr. Rodgers said, smiling.

"Can you also dispel it?" asked a woman's voice. Elsa looked around surprised. At some point, Natasha had entered. She hadn't even noticed her.

"No," Elsa said, sadly. "I don't know how."

"If there's a way, I know you'll figure it out," said Phil, encouragingly. "I mean, if you could figure out how to do all this…"

Elsa looked at Phil's smiling face, he was starting to sound like Anna. "Thank you," she said. "I… I hope you are right."

"With that said," Natasha said, "It'd be good to know what sustains them. Maybe we should turn up the heat. That way, if something does happen, we know how to counteract it. No offense," she told Elsa.

Elsa nodded, and raised a hand to forestall Phil's comment. "I think you're right."

Phil looked like he was biting his tongue. "Shame to let the sculpture go to waste, though."

Natasha looked speculative. "Hmm." She then gave a brief smile. "Can you try to sustain the sculpture as we turn up the temperature?"

Some of the words were still foreign, but Elsa got the idea. She gave a brief nod. Natasha tapped her ear and spoke softly. "Here we go," the pilot told her.

Elsa placed her hand on her ice palace and focused on it. The others could see an almost visible blue energy flow into the sculpture. Elsa, on the other hand, could feel the heat in the room ice wall began to show visible signs of melting, quicker and quicker, until the water began to puddle.

Phil, wiping his brow, excused himself.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Rodgers said, as the water began to lap at his boots. "How hot is it in here?"

"Over 90 degrees," Natasha told him.

"I… I have to stop, I'm beginning to feel faint," Elsa said.

Rodgers caught her as she began to swoon. Once her energy was removed from the equation, the sculpture began a swift descent into liquid form. Mr. Rodgers, observing Elsa's flushed state, helped her quickly out of the room.

Phil was waiting outside. He opened his mouth to say something, then noticed Elsa's condition. "Are you alright, Elsa?" he asked.

"I don't think I realized how hot it was. It didn't interfere with my magic but…"

"But your body is a different story, and that energy had to come from somewhere, right?" Rodgers asked.

"Well," Natasha said, emerging, with Thor right behind her. "The humidity in that room had been pumped to zero before we came in. I'm not sure where the water came from."

Elsa frowned, not quite comprehending the last sentence.

"There's usually a certain amount of water in the air," Phil said. "There was no water in that air for you manipulate. So, you either conjured the water, or used water from your own body. Are you thirsty?"

Elsa put a hand to her forehead, "I can't tell. I'm so hot, and tired."

"We'll get you to something to eat and drink, and someone to mop up your room," Phil told her.

"Thank you."

* * *

In the lab, Tony Stark was fiddling with Jarvis's findings. He frowned, staring at something. "That's… odd. Not relevant, perhaps, but odd."

"Doesn't something smell funky to you, Steve?" Dr. Banner asked.

"Find the Cube," Captain America said, distracted. He departed to search through the Helicarrier.

It was behind a locked door that he found them. First were the energy weapons, looking like they'd been reversed engineered from WWII Hydra weapons. They were of sleeker design, perhaps, but still. Hydra weapons.

He was about to take them for proof when he heard a voice behind him. It was higher pitched than an adult, but not quite a child's.

"Hi!"

He turned, and saw something that resembled nothing more than a fridge with an open viewing window. Through the window he saw what was undoubtedly a snowman. A snowman that was waving at him.

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

"Olaf?" he asked. The events of a few hours ago raced through his mind. "Did… did Elsa build you?" he asked, trying to parse things together.

"Yes. Why?" he asked. Then, apparently, the idea reached him. "Is she here?" he asked excitedly. "Is Anna here too?"

The snowman spoke English. He knew Elsa. And SHIELD had intentionally not brought them together.

Tony was more right than Steve cared to admit. He tapped his earpiece to activate the comm. "Elsa… if you can hear me, you need to report to the lab right now. Thor, you know where they're keeping the scepter. Please help her find the way. Tony… you need to see these."


	9. Chapter 8

These naps weren't short.. but Elsa's body had been used to longer periods of rest. That was going to catch up to her eventually. But the chatter she'd heard from the earpiece on the stands had awoken her. A few minutes later, Thor had shown up, knocking on her door and had asked, politely, for her to come with him.

Whatever it was, it must have been important.

"Loki is your brother, right? she asked as they walked.

"Yes. We grew up together, in Asgard."

"Does he really have a daughter, Hel, who is in charge of the Dead?" she asked.

Thor looked at her in confusion. "No. The dead are as beyond our reach as much as they beyond yours. What gave you that idea?"

"The Edda. I've read a translation." Reading was one of her favorite past times, after all.

"As much as some of us would like to think," Thor said with a wry chuckle. "Asgardians are not Gods."

"Were you close to your brother?" Elsa asked.

"I thought so," Thor said. He sounded wistful. "He wasn't as strong as I was, but he knew how to fight. He knew how to be in the right spot at the right time. He was always a step ahead of us in games, finding flaws and exploits in the rules. He was a friend."

"Was?" asked Elsa.

"He said I was not worthy to be king. It galls me now, but he was right. I did not know what it was to care for the inhabitants, to be able to truly lead people. To put their desires ahead of my own. When my father, King Odin, exiled me to Earth, I learned these things. It gave me a desire to protect them, and I understand now."

Thor took a breath, and continued. "This is not what Loki meant, he meant he was more worthy based on intelligence, and that we deserved to rule. He does not understand the truth of ruling. Of the sacrifices that must be made. If he could…" Thor trailed off. "He would make an excellent king."

"You still love him, don't you?" Elsa asked.

"He is my brother," Thor said simply. To Elsa, it answered everything.

They'd arrived at… well, Elsa wasn't sure what kind of room it was. Loki's scepter rested on a table on the far wall, but nothing else looked recognizable. There were what appeared to be magical displays showing… something. English that Elsa didn't recognize.

Tony glanced up as she walked in, then turned back to Captain Fury. "I'm sorry, Nick, what were you lying?" he asked, turning the display towards him.

"It means," Captain Rodgers said, pushing a cart in that Elsa had to step quickly around. "SHIELD uses the Tesseract to make weapons." He glanced at Tony. "Sorry, your program was running a bit slow for me."

Elsa was looking curiously at the larger box the Captain had brought in. Was that… "Olaf?" she asked. "Why is he in the…" there was a word missing. She gestured.

"Refrigerator," supplied Rodgers. "Keeps him from melting. You saw what heat did to your structures."

Tony looked at her. "You didn't say you could construct golems. Intelligent golems."

Rodgers turned to him, "Fury knew."

Elsa shook her head, and pulled the handle , opening the door. She adjusted her bracers. She wanted to put some of her power into… she let it loose. A very miniature cloud appeared over the now freed snowman's head, and he toddled out in awe.

"My own personal flurry!" he exclaimed, delighted.

"Intelligent golems," insisted Tony.

Elsa stood, her own temper starting to rise. "I don't fully understand my own magic, Mr. Tony. I've managed these golems only three times. Once right after I ran from home," she nodded at Olaf. Then she realized. "Dr. Samson lied to me… I didn't mention Olaf in my sleep, he was here the whole time." She spun to face Natasha, who'd snuck into the room a second time. "And you knew."

"Elsa, you should consider removing yourself from this environment, as you should you, Banner."

"What?" asked Dr. Banner, who'd be minding his own business in the back of the room. "You rented my room."

Elsa felt… something grab her hand. Olaf led her to the front of the room, away from where the words were becoming more heated with each exchange. "It's so good to see you again, Elsa! Where's Anna?"

Elsa winced, the anger flooding out of her, "You mean, you don't know?"

"No… she was trying to find Kristov, I couldn't fight my way through the storm."

For the second time today, Elsa told the end of the story.

"Oh, Anna." His eyes locked on Elsa, "Elsa…" he said, mournfully. "It was Hans. It wasn't you." His twigs pressed against Elsa's hands. "You would never have done that. You loved your sister."

Elsa nodded, though it was fury at Hans that was threatening to overwhelm her this time. She looked up, Mr. Stark and Captain Rodgers were in each others faces, almost yelling. "What's going on?" she asked. She'd lost track of that conversation.

Olaf looked over to them. Apparently, he didn't think much of their debate, until his eyes narrowed at Loki's spear on the other side of the room. "That… stick is angry. And it's making other people angry." So saying, like a small child, he toddled towards it.

Banner had already reached it, and Elsa stood up, moving to escort Olaf away from the dangerous object when a buzzer sounded.

Bruce put it back down, and went to examine the source of the noise. The argument stopped, and was replaced by an argument about the cube itself. Apparently it had been located. Banner was looking very intently at the screen, though still looking very angry.

Now the Olaf had been reclaimed, she was ready to extricate herself from this situation. She was sneaking toward the door when a loud noise and an explosion fired her through the air, through a pane of glass, and with another crack, landed spread eagle on the floor.

A quick glance told her Dr. Banner and Natasha had been thrown through the glass with her. Olaf was nowhere to be seen.

Her imagination was already filling her with terror, what could have caused that calamity? A brief shock of pain brought her attention to her wrists, lightning danced across the now obviously broken bracers. In horror, she looked up, ice was beginning to coat the floor of this storage room.

"We're ok, right?" asked Natasha.

"The bracers," Elsa said, her voice quaking. "They're not working."

Natasha glanced at her, then turned back the other way.

"Bruce, you've got to fight it, this is just what Loki wants."

Elsa rested for a second, focusing on Natasha's voice. She could hear grunts of pain from her other side. Don't feel. Don't feel!

Carefully, Elsa picked herself up from the ground, and began carefully walking to the pinned Natasha.

"...you will walk away…"

"YOUR LIFE?" came the roar. Elsa stopped dead. What could have made such a loud noise? Then she saw it. It was… Banner? His body, swelling, growing uncontrollably, staggering away from Natasha.

"What is that?" asked Elsa. And the monster heard it. It turned to face Elsa. The green giant was furious. Elsa let loose a cry of alarm, and blasted a wall of ice, filling the passageway between the two women and the monster.

WHAM! Ice chunks flew from the wall as cracks appeared.

Natasha looked at Elsa in relief, as the Ice Sorceress hurried forward to get the weight that pinned Natasha to the floor. "What is that?" Elsa repeated, straining against the weight.

WHAM! The cracks grew deeper. Even ice had its limits when it came to force.

"The Hulk," whispered Natasha as she pulled her leg out, and rolled to her feet. "And he'll just get stronger! Up those stairs!"

Elsa turned and ran, leaving small patches of ice in her wake as they sprinted for the stairwell. She'd reached the top when she felt the metal stairs lurch from beneath her. She instinctively jumped and passed through the opening at the top.

"Natasha!" Elsa cried. Natasha had fallen back to the ground level where that beast was.

"RUN!" Natahsa's voice echoed back at her.


	10. Chapter 9

Elsa ran, right into the arms of Phil Coulson. She instinctively flinched away from him, snowflakes falling gently around her.

"Woah," Phil said. "It's ok, Ms. Elsa."

"But my bracers… they're broken… I'm a danger to your ship."

Phil looked at them, curiously. "So they are. Think we'd need them off anyway. Come with me."

"Where are we going?" she asked. He seemed so calm, and the calmness was infectious. The snow stopped, though she still left icy footprints behind her.

"The Helicarrier is under attack," he said matter-of-factly. "We believe they're trying to spring Loki. First, I need to make sure the armory is secure, then we'll go to the detention center. I'd like to have you along to as back up."

"I'm sorry… 'Back up'?" she asked.

Phil frowned. "As an ally," he said, finally.

"You trust my magic?" she asked.

"I trust you."

He led her, again, through the labyrinthine corridors of the helicarrier. When this was all done, she was going to ask for and study a map. Phil put up his hand. "Footsteps, wait." Another man, dressed in a Shield uniform, came up from around the corner. Seeing Elsa, he leveled a weapon, and only through Phil's pulling her to the ground was Elsa not hit.

She raised a hand, and fired her magic directly at the weapon. It iced over instantly, and he threw it to the ground, his fingers blue.

Phil kicked out, bringing down their assailant. In one fluid motion, he jumped forward, and knocked the man out with a single punch to his exposed head. He looked down. "If you're spoiling for a fight," he advised Elsa. "Wear a helmet." He looked at the frozen weapon on the ground. "Good aim."

"Thank you, " she replied.

They hurried along, stopping in front of what appeared to be a large secure door. Phil ran in a card, then looked into a strange device. After a beep was heard, the door slid open. "Please wait here, Ms. Elsa," he said politely. "I'll be right back."

When he returned, he was carrying a large object, looking like a larger, more magical version of the weapon they'd just been threatened with.

"What is that?" Elsa asked, nervously.

"It's a…" Phil began. Then he looked at it curiously. "I'm not actually sure. It's supposed to be pretty powerful. I'm to make sure our assailants don't free the prisoner, and this seems to be the most likely candidate for disinclining the attempt."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Elsa asked.

Phil shrugged, "If it were still dangerous to the user, it wouldn't be on board. Let's continue." Phil walked quickly, purposely, towards what must have been the rear of the ship. She could hear loud noises coming from behind her, possibly the green creature that had begun to tear up the hold. What if it tore through the engines, rendering the craft no longer…

"Tell me about Olaf," Phil said, distracting her from her troubling thoughts. She didn't notice the snow beginning to fall inside the hallway again.

"Olaf?" Elsa asked, startled.

"Your friendly snowman," Phil said. "How did he come to be?"

"I'm not sure," Elsa admitted. "It wasn't on purpose. It was right after my coronation, when I ran, experimenting with my magic. One of the first things I did was recreate the snowman Anna and I built as kids."

"How did he become sentient?" Phil asked. "Wake up," he clarified.

"I don't know," Elsa said.

"Were you able to replicate it?" Phil asked.

"I was," Elsa said. "It went as out of control as the rest of my magic," she put up her hands to forestall the question. "I apologize, I don't want to talk about it."

Phil nodded in understanding. "We're here… and…"

"NO!" Thor yelled. Phil and Elsa looked at each other, and sprinted in the direction of the sound. Unencumbered by disinclination devices, Elsa made it there first. It was a large room, Thor was trapped in an inner… cell. A man was knocked out in the opposite corner, and near some sort of panel…

"Sister!" exclaimed Loki, smiling. "I apologize for giving away your past. But I know better than anyone that you cannot run from your past. Even a past that I didn't know i had."

"I am not your Sister…"

"You control Ice Magic better than Frost Giants have for hundreds of years. I am the son of Jotunheim. You cannot deny the ice that runs in both our veins, Lady Elsa. You, who have true power, could rule with me!"

"I don't want it," Elsa replied. "I'd give up my crown, this magic, my life to spend just one more day with my sister. The sister I shut out, that I KILLED with my uncontrolled magic! You… you have that chance. Your brother loves you. He wants to bring you back home, to be brothers ag…"

Loki turned toward her with a look of vile hatred. His blue eyes blazed with eldritch energy. "SENTIMENT!" he roared.

"Step away, please," came Phil's voice. He was pointing his disinclination device at Loki. "It was a good try, Miss Elsa. You'll want to step back as well."

Elsa did, in fact, take a few large steps backward.

"You like it?" Phil asked Loki conversationally. "We started working on the prototype after you sent the destroyer. Even I don't know what it does."

Phil let out a gasp of pain as Loki vanished from where he was standing. When Elsa spotted him, he was behind Phil, his scepter jammed in his back.

Elsa and Thor screamed, as Elsa ran to try to staunch the bleeding with… whatever she had. Frost began covering his uniform.

Loki calmly ignored her, walked back over to where'd he been standing before. He made eye contact with his brother, and pressed something.

With a clang, the prison Thor was trapped in dropped away, leaving only a gaping hole of sky.

"Help me up, Elsa," Phil whispered. Then, Louder. "You're going to lose," he accused Loki.

"Am I?" Loki asked, smirking.

"It's in your nature," Phil told him.

Loki walked back over to them. "Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Your heroes are scattered, uncontrollable, scared. Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction."

Phil's weapon fired, blasting Loki through a wall. "So that's what it does." He turned his head to look at Elsa. "You need to freeze my body," Phil said quietly. "It's the only chance I have. It's getting hard to stay awake."

"What?" Elsa asked.

"Lower my body temperature. Slow the blood loss. A… Torpor if you will."

"I can't un…"

"I trust you," Phil said.

Elsa took a single breath, and let her magic take control, encasing Phil's body, other than his head, in a tomb of ice.

Phil, still conscious, looked behind Elsa. "Sorry Boss. The guy rabbited."

"Stay awake!" came the order as Captain Fury ran into the room. He glanced only slightly at Elsa. "Eyes on me."

"Sorry… I think I'm clocking out."

"Not an option."

"It's OK, Boss. It's what they need."

The Medics, along with Doc, arrived about a minute later, walking through snow that was hovering in the air. Doc had, in his hands, a second pair of bracers to replace Elsa's broken ones. They departed together to take Elsa to the Bridge, where only Captain Rodgers and the Metal Man were waiting. They both looked downcast. Even Olaf could sense the somberness of the room, and said nothing. They waited for news on Agent Phil Coulson.

A quarter of an hour passed before Fury returned to the room. "They called it," Fury said, without preamble. "Agent Phil Coulson is down." He tossed a handful of cards on the table, wet with water and blood. "I guess he never got you to sign them."

Fury continued to speak, but Elsa wasn't listening. She was staring at the cards, clearly of Captain Rodgers. She didn't want to hear anything else. If she had acted quicker, she could have stopped Loki, protected Phil, somehow. She could hear both Doc Samson, Olaf, and Anna whispering in her ear that was nonsense, that Loki had killed him, and she wasn't responsible for his actions.

It didn't take the pain away.

"Phil died, still believing in that idea. In people."

Elsa wanted to get up, to run out of the room. But she had nowhere to go.


	11. Chapter 10

Elsa felt her hand poked with wooden sticks, and looked down to see Olaf, staring at her with wide eyes. For a change, he said nothing, apparently seeing how deep the pain went. "I've failed again, Olaf," she whispered. "I failed my sister, I've failed Phil… I've…"

"You need to forgive yourself," Olaf told her quietly. "Doctor Samson told me what happened. Loki is to blame. Not you."

"I could have stopped him, Olaf. I could have saved Phil, if I'd…"

"Trusted yourself," said Olaf in the same quiet voice.

It might have been the wrong thing to say. Elsa put her head and her hands and wept again. "Anna trusted me, Phil trusted me. They were wrong, Olaf. I wish I'd never had this magic."

Olaf was quiet for a second. "I still trust you. Loki's still out there, and Anna would not have wanted you to give up your magic. It was a gift, and aren't gifts made to be used?"

It took time for the thoughts to penetrate Elsa's brain. Loki had promised war. War was still coming. Olaf was right. There were going to be people who needed… what? She thought for a moment, then looked up from Olaf to Captain Rodgers.

"What do we do?" she asked, addressing Rodgers for the first time.

"We?" asked Captain Rodgers. "Elsa… you're not a soldier. You're not a…" Rodgers looked her in the eyes.

"No, I don't know what I can do to help. But I need to. I need to prove to myself, to Phil. To Anna, that I can use this magic responsibly. I'm prepared to do what is necessary."

Rodgers nodded. "Let's go find Stark."

* * *

Stark was standing in the empty gap where Loki's prison used to stand, staring at the large empty hole. "Was he married?" asked Rodgers.

Elsa hung back, letting Steve take the lead in the conversation, up until Tony called Phil an idiot.

"He was not an idiot," exploded Elsa. Steve and Tony both stepped back. "He believed in me to be with him."

"He should have waited…" began Stark.

"For what? For Loki to escape? For his men to carve an even bigger hole in your ship? I was there. He trusted me, and when the time came, I froze. But there wasn't a way out."

"Right. I've heard that before."

"Is this the first time you lost a soldier?" asked Rodgers.

"We are not…" began Tony.

"Is it the first time you lost a friend?" interjected Elsa. Stark and Rodgers both stared at her. "I remember when Anna's body froze in front of me. When the treacherous Hans shattered her. The rage… I froze myself, my subjects. I know what you feel Tony… and there's nothing like it. But Phil… he wasn't born into it, he signed up for it. Because he thought it was right."

Tony nodded, and after a moment he added, "But I didn't sign up. I'm not marching to Fury's fife."

"Neither am I. He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does, but right now we need to focus on Loki and get this done. He needs a…" began Rodgers.

"He made this personal," said Stark.

"When he killed Phil?" asked Elsa.

"He attacked the Helicarrier, killed Phil, insulted us all. That's Loki's point. He wants to beat us… he wants to be seen doing it."

"We caught his act in Germany," Rodgers said, following.

"That was just the previews, and this is opening night. He wants an audience, he wants applause, he wants a tower built in his image with his name…. sonofabitch."

* * *

Tony went to get his armor, while Captain Rodgers and Elsa hurried to find the one other person Rodgers needed. "Time to go," Rodgers said.

"Go where?" Natasha asked.

"Tell you on the way, can you fly one of those?"

Elsa started. "You know she can, Captain. She flew us to Germany."

"I can," said a male voice. Elsa glanced in, and saw a man she did not recognize.

Elsa's eyes went back to Natasha, who nodded silently at Rodgers.

"Do you have a suit? Then suit up."

* * *

In the plane, Elsa made one other addition to her modified shield uniform, a helmet, made of clear ice. It seemed the proper way to acknowledge Phil's last piece of advice. She'd been given a new earpiece. One with something called a "Microphone" attached so she could talk to the others, activated by a button that hooked on to her belt.

Tony had gone on ahead. Elsa had put on a brave face, but she was probably more scared than she was when she had gone to Germany. Samson had said that's what bravery was. The courage to do the right thing even when scared.

It had sounded good, at least.

As they lowered themselves down from the clouds to approach New York proper, Elsa caught herself staring again. She'd never seen buildings of this size. There might have been some in Germany, but it had been night. This… this was something she couldn't focus on right now.

"What? Did you stop for Drive-Thru?" came Tony's voice. "Swing up Park, I'll lay them out for you." He zoomed past a few seconds later, and the weapons of the Quinnjet roared to life. Several pursuing… somethings, fell from the sky. Chitauri is what Thor had called them.

Something rocked the Hellicarrier, and despite Clint and Natasha's flailing, the jet spun down, crashing to the ground. Elsa had followed Captain Rodgers lead, and had grabbed onto something he had called a "Panic Bar". As a result, she was merely dazed when they emerged onto the streets of New York.

"We've got to get back…" began Rodgers.

"Watch out!" shouted Elsa, and, testing the range of her magic, blasted a sheet of ice all the way across a smaller building to the tower the giant letter was tumbling from. The giant K bounced down the ice, settling onto a nearby roof. The sounds of screaming from all around her began to overwhelm her senses.

"Glad you came already," remarked Barton dryly.

That's when the…. space serpent emerged from the hole above STAR tower. Elsa simply stared, as did the others. More of the creatures jumped off of (or out of) the hideous things. Energy filled the air, causing things to explode. People ran from them as best they could, but Elsa could tell, the screams were changing tone from fear to pain.

"Think you can hold them off?" Rodgers asked.

"Captain," said Barton, fitting an arrow to his bow. "It would be my genuine pleasure."

"Stay with them, Elsa. Give them some cover. I'll be back shortly," ordered the Captain… and he was gone.

"There's kids in that bus," Barton said after surveying his surroundings for a second or two. "We need to get them out.". All three of them ducked as an explosion blew… something up in the portal's direction. "Elsa? Can you give us a roof?"

That was easy. Elsa focused momentarily and, arching her arms, created a similar arc of ice between the the two buildings to their left and right, screening them from fire above, giving just enough headroom for civilians to come to their now defendable positions.

And, as it turned out, for the Chitauri to get in. But Natasha seemed to have that handled. Barton and Elsa helped get people trapped in the bus out. "Subway! That direction," Barton told them. "Get underground!"

Elsa looked up, and saw that two of the Chitauri had doubled back, as the shield only covered half the approach. She instinctively fired her magic at the lead one, causing the vehicle to frost over. It must have malfunctioned, for it careened into the building on the left, and threw the rider to the ground. A moment later, the second one sprouted an arrow, and exploded.

Barton's bow was back in his hand. "Nice shot," he told her. "Keep covering our six."

"What?" asked Elsa.

"Like on a clock!" shouted Natasha. "Watch our backs!"

_Oh._ "I understand!"

Over the next few minutes, Elsa gained an appreciation as to why Captain Rodgers had been hesitant to bring her along. Elsa had backed up against her own wall, creating a sheet of ice over the rubble in the street. Chitauri apparently had the same problem walking on ice that humans did, and slipped in the same way. Elsa blasted two more with hard bolts of ice, keeping them down.

Had she killed them? Maybe. She flashed back to her ice palace. The two Wësseltown guards would have killed her. But… Prince Hans, for all his monstrosity, had given her a way out. There was no way out here. Back at the present, Natasha was fighting hand to hand with a stolen glaive, and Barton had just stabbed another one with an arrow. They were having no qualms. It's what what they had to do.

She saw another Chitauri leveling its energy weapon, and Elsa didn't hesitate. Thin, sharp, ice spikes flew, penetrating the alien's armor. If it was to be them or us, Elsa was going to side with the ones who stopped to help other people, not the ones who targeted them.

Another group was massing just beyond the ice, preparing to attempt to overwhelm their position. It was beginning to look poor until lightning came from somewhere out of their sight, shocking the small group for several seconds until they collapsed. A moment later, Thor landed heavily on the already cracked and ruined road. A few seconds later, Captain Rodgers came back up from behind them, and waved for Elsa to join him. It was… momentarily, quiet.

"How do we do this?" asked Barton.

"As a team," Captain Rodgers began.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor interrupted.

"Yeah? Get in line," growled Barton.

"Save it," ordered Rodgers. "We've got Stark up…" A puttering interrupted Rodgers again. Dr. Banner arrived, driving a… small motorized bicycle.

"Well, this looks horrible," deadpanned Banner.

"I've seen worse," returned Natasha.

Banner looked abashed.

"You were right, Tony," said Elsa, utilizing her communicator for the first time, "Dr. Banner's here."

"Tell him to suit up," Tony replied. "I'm bringing the party to you."

Elsa blinked, then looked out into the distance at the giant space snake heading their way. Her attention returned to Banner for just long enough to watch him change, a second time, into the large green monstrosity of a human. The first time had been clearly painful to him, laborious. This second one was smooth, and it seemed almost natural. Then he turned, and socked the snake with one blow, upending it, causing it to crash on Elsa's hastily reinforced ice dome.

It rocked with the weight, but held.


	12. Chapter 11

The Hulk's roar had just stopped reverberating in Elsa's ear. And with the number of troops still pouring from the portal… clearly… they'd only seen the first wave of this invasion. This war.

"Call it Captain," Tony offered.

"Barton on that roof . Eyes on everything, call out patterns and strays," Captain Rodgers turned to the Iron Man. "Stark, you've got the perimeter, anything gets more than three blocks out you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

Barton turned to Tony. "Give me a lift?"

"Better clench up Legolas." And they were gone.

"Elsa, your ice is the best defense we've got for civilians. Barton'll direct you relative to the tower. There's ways to the underground dotted around, just get them off the streets." Elsa nodded.

A moment later, Barton's voice echoed in her ear. "I've already got something. Block towards the tower and a block to your right, the Chitauri have people trapped in department store a block towards the tower then a block to your right. Too many to engage at once. Windows are busted though, think you can get them out?"

"I can," Elsa said, and began running. Block… easily understood. At the first large street, she made the requisite right turn. She kept to cover, running near the stopped vehicles that littered the roads, and went unnoticed by the Chitauri looking for larger groups to terrorize.

The "Department Store" was a bit harder to understand, but Barton's "On your left!" got her attention. It was large building, with what must have originally been a glass wall, but it was shattered and gone now. She could see people backed towards the edge… and the solution came to her. Before Anna was forced to forget about her magic, they loved using ice as a slide.

She aimed her magic, not daring to hit any of the people inside, just below the edge, curving it downward in a gentle ramp. She gave it just enough of a banked corner to allow it to level off before it came down to ground level. After she looked around a bit, and saw no obvious fliers or attackers, she began to shout.

It took people about a minute (and Elsa was pretty sure that someone actually glanced out the window rather than actually hearing her) before anyone came, but out they did come. One by one, people came out, and though some were clearly terrified of exiting via ice slide, it was apparently better than staying with the Chitauri.

They skidded to onto the rubble, and a few just got up to keep running. One or two others locked eyes with Elsa, mumbled thanks, and took off. Others, including a father with a pair of daughters (who clearly had enjoyed sliding more than *anyone* else), clustered around Elsa, as if she was some sort of guardian angel sent to protect them.

"Barton," Elsa asked her communicator, "Where is this underground?"

"Block to the left of the portal from where you are. Back the way you came. Cross the street and keep going."

Chitauri had found the escape route, and were beginning to line up to fire into the crowd. Elsa returned fire, ice flying from her hands. "This way," she ordered, and began to run. The crowd moved with her, and Elsa realized, too late, that group of civilians this big attracted attention.

And not the good kind. A small swarm of flyers had located the party, and energy bolts rained upon them. Some were hit, and one of the child's screams echoed back in Elsa's mind. She could hear Anna crying for help.

Fear, helplessness, desperation. These were emotions Elsa had felt before. But in the glance Elsa got of the seared wound on the child's leg, sent a surge of an emotion she had felt strongly only once. Anger. The last time she'd felt like this, she'd lost one hundred and fifty years and killed an entire city. She focused her magic.

This time, she had Anna whispering in one ear, and Phil Coulson in the other. "We trust you."

And she let it go.

There was no personality to this construct, just her rage at the ones who were killing people. Innocents. The giant snowman leveled a single ice fist and punched the Chitauri right off his flying device.

It roared Elsa's anger back to the sky, acting a signaling device for even more foes. Energy weapons burned holes into the snow, which would eventually be really effective. Another alien went flying over a roof.

"I told you. Intelligent constructs. Nice move, Narnia." echoed Tony's voice in her ear.

"Move!" she cried, helping the injured child into her father's arms. "Underground!"

She was told later that the giant Snowman held out a lot longer than she had thought. While it wasn't mobile, apparently the challenge of testing themselves had drawn the Chitauri like flies. And swatted them just as easily. The heat and energy weapons had, however, eventually melted it.

* * *

Once they'd been seen to the safety of the civilians. (Barton said something about Fury having sent a "Medic" in via the tunnels) the rest of the war was blurrish to Elsa. She could remember pieces.

"Elsa," came Barton's voice. "Tony's coming hot. Can you set up an ice wall for his pursuers?" She'd already taxed her powers more than she ever had in her life… and she was beginning to feel exhausted. "I think so, I'll be ready."

About ten seconds later, Tony did a low flyby, and behind him Elsa created one last wall. The sound of three flyers slamming into it was music to her ears.

* * *

"Barton, I'm exhausted, I need an out…" Elsa began.

"I can close it! I can close the portal!"

"Do it!"

"Don't! I've got a Nuke headed straight for the city… and I know where to put it."

"Team's gathered half a block from your position, Elsa," Barton replied. "I've got you covered."

Elsa's slow tired jog was interrupted by the noise of Tony's flying, turning up to the portal itself.

Everything went quiet for a moment. The others were just ahead of her, and with one last burst, arrived at the group, panting.

The moments ticked by after Tony vanished through the portal. After about half a minute, "Shut it, Nat."

"No," responded Elsa. "They've stopped coming. Another minute. Give Mr. Stark..."

And there he was coming back from the portal.

"Son of a gun," Rodgers said. "Nat, close it."

"He's not slowing down!" Thor exclaimed.

Closing her eyes, focusing her energy one last time, Elsa made it snow. Not fancy, not over a large area, but right where Tony was going to fall.

Of course, it was all for not. The Hulk jumped up to intercept the Stark-Missile from the air, grinding against the building to slow himself, before finally landing in the snow pile himself. Snow flew everywhere.

Tony had survived. They found Loki, beaten to near death. Elsa assumed the Hulk was responsible for this.

After that, it was just mop up. Thor, the Cube, and Loki returned, with a flash, to Asgard. Natasha and Barton (as well as Captain Rodgers) were to report to Fury.

"Come with us," Tony offered. "Look, I know you're not a science nut like me and Dr. Banner, but I'd like to chance to analyze your powers. I can give you the chance to exercise them even better than Fury can, and I have the advantage of not having lied to you. And Pepper can help you adapt to the 21st century. She likes projects. And she's not a spy who's always trying to figure out how to use you as an asset."

"It's one of the reasons she's stayed with Tony so long," Dr. Banner interjected slyly. "Dr. Samson's a friend of mine, if he doesn't think this the best idea, then we'll figure out what is."

Tony eyed him, then grinned. "Don't worry. If Fury wants you, he'll throw a tantrum and come find me in my office. We'll get your friend Olaf as well."

Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Tony. I don't think the helicarrier is the right place for me."


	13. Epilogues

"I think you should see this, Elsa."

Elsa had just finished taking her first bath in centuries. Now dressed in (what Tony assured her was) modern clothes, she came to join him and Banner, who were watching a multitude of strange screens. They appeared to be all focused on different parts of the battle.

Tony punched a button on a strange stick, then pointed it at one of the screens. "That one."

Elsa recognized them. It was the father and his two daughters she had helped escaped from the Chitauri trap. "What? That they chose the time and place to fight?" came a voice from the screen, ""The… Snow Mage saved my daughters and me. She came to our rescue. She deserves our thanks!"

"...and that one."

The second screen indicated just showed a girl in a very makeshift dark blue jacket, with a snowflake painted on the back.

_Emulating her._

"Thank you Anna, Phil," Elsa whispered. Maybe now their ghosts would be at peace.

* * *

Tony was good as his word. He put her powers through her paces, always having a new idea to try, or a new reading to take. Ms. Pepper Potts and Olaf actually got on very well, and did in fact, help Elsa acclimated to this new time period. She really liked this game based on the Silver Ball known as "Pinball". She'd always loved geometry, as a child.

Banner was usually there, and Doc Samson would drop by from time to time. The two appeared to be patching up an old relationship. Between them, Elsa got more comfortable with her emotions than she ever had in Arendelle. Though… she still preferred to keep the bracers on, just in case.

* * *

In his private office on the Hellicarrier, Fury was going through some notes, when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," Fury said, nodding at the newcomer. "Glad to see your up and about."

"How long was I comatose?"

"Day or two," Fury replied.

"We need to tell her," Phil Coulson said. "She's already got one death that's not her fault on her conscience. "

"Maybe, I think she finally started to forgive herself for Anna's… well, look at this," Fury said, swiveling a monitor his direction.

"Is that… Arendelle?" Phil asked. "The Glacier's melted?"

"Began to melt a few hours after the battle of New York. We got a team out there as soon it began happening. And the people survived," Fury reported. "Norway claimed the territory, so they're going to work on rehabilitating the citizenry."

"And… wow." Phil was not normally at a loss for words. "Is that?'

"It is," said Fury. "We had two of our top science graduates there. Using the readings they got from Tony, they've managed to track down echoes of Elsa's magic, leading them to collect pieces of ice from all over Arendelle. They managed to put that ice statue back together."

"Is that all of her?" Phil asked.

"One small gap. Right where the heart should be."

"Elsa needs to see this immediately."

"I agree. We're setting up a new team. A level 8 team, and I want you to in charge. You'll report to me and Maria - no one else. I've got some dossiers for you to look over."

"I'd like to start with them," Phil said, nodding at the screen.

"Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons," Fury said nodding. "When you have your team, we'll bring in Elsa."

**[Elsa will return]**  
[Check my profile for the full series - TZ]


End file.
